Suspension hook



March 21, 1967 w BRUNGER 3,310,272

7 SUSPENSION HOOK Filed Jan. 21, 1966 I 4 Sheets-Sheet l O H N! f In ventor: FR 502/01 14/ fi/WYW'E? March 21, 1967 F. w. BRUNGER 3,310,272

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' SUSPENSION HOOK Filed Jan. 21, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 bvemon- Felsweicl-l M BQU/VGEZ United States Patent 3,310,272 SUSPENSION HOOK Friedrich Wilhelm Briinger, 10 Hathumarstrasse, Paderborn, Germany Filed Jan. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 522,085 Claims priority, application Germany, Jan. 22, 1965, B 80,229; Feb. 18, 1965, B 80,596 7 Claims. (Cl. 248339) This invention relates to suspension hooks, and more specifically to a suspension hook for suspending therefrom articles packed for sale.

For suspending folded articles, e.g., sports shirts, packed for sale and carried by a laid-in cardboard it is known to use suspension devices in which the article is placed either into a transparent carrying bag or a carrying holder which in turn is to be suspended from a hanger. It is also known to use devices in which the article is fastened to a clamping holder. All known devices have the disadvantage that it is either too troublesome to detach the respective article in case of need or that the article, particularly if fastened to a clamping holder, detaches itself when a slight pulling action is being exerted thereon. Moreover, the known devices are of complicated construction and too expensive to suspend therefrom the whole collection of a store.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a suspension hook that enables articles, e.g., sports shirts or the like, packed for sale and carried by a laid-in cardboard to be suspended from a hanger. Such suspension hooks are useful because, e.g., the hitherto usual storing of shirts or the like in shelves involves many disadvantages. For example, one disadvantage consists in that the individual sizes of the shirts may easily get mixed up and must be sorted again and again.

It is another object of the invention to provide a suspension hook which can be easily manufactured and is of simple construction.

These objects are achieved according to the present invention by providing a suspension hook of crook-shaped configuration in which the imaginary plane of the lower curved hook portion is turned expediently through an angle of 90 degrees relative to the imaginary plane of the upper curved hook portion.

The helical crook-shaped suspension hook the lower curvature of which may be additionally narrowed can be easily anchored in a simple manner in a laid-in cardboard carrying the folded article. The turning of the two hook portions relative to one another through an angle of 90 degrees enables the suspension hooks and thus the suspended articles to be arranged on a hanger closely side by side.

Several embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a crook-shaped hook according to the invention having a leaf-shaped lower hook portion;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational View of the crook-shaped hook of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the crook-shaped book of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4a to 4d are schematic representations illustrating the anchoring of the hook in a laid-in cardboard;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a punched hook having outer tips on both sides;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a modified embodiment of the hook having an inner punched-out tip;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of the hook having two inner punched-out tips;

Patented Mar. 21, 1967 "ice FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the hook having a punched-out inner tip and bearing surfaces;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of still another embodiment of the hook having a punched-out inner tip separated from the bearing surfaces and FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of the hook having several tips and abutment edges.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a crook-shaped hook 10 of round cross section which has a central connecting portion 11 that is somewhat thicker than the hook 10 and equipped with lateral abutment noses 12 and a lower hook portion 13 turned through an angle of degrees relative to the upper hook portion. Formed between an outer end 14 of the lower hook portion 13 and the connecting portion 11 of the hook is a narrow slot 15. The region extending below the outer end 14 down to a lower insertable tip 16 of the hook is widened in leaf or heart fashion and has a flat cross section so as to form a suitable bearing surface. A preferably curved additional bearing surface 17 extends in the central region of the lower hook portion 13 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

FIGS. 4a to 4d show how such a crook-shaped suspension device can be used in practice with a cardboard insert covered by a foil of synthetic plastic material or the like.

With the lower insertable tip 16 of the hook first the foil 18 and then the laid-in cardboard 19 is pierced and during this action marginal strips of the pierced foil 18 slide, owing to the slightly wedge-shaped construction of the lower hook portion 13, through the slot 20 formed in the cardboard 19 and, when turning the hook (see the drawing), are clamped in an advantageous manner between the cardboard 19 and the heartor leaf-shaped region of the hook portion 13. A central slot 14a in the heartor leaf-shaped region of the hook portion 13 may be beneficial to the clamping of the foil between the cardboard and the hook portion 13 and in this region, moreover, the laid-in carboard 19 may slightly warp so that the hook is automatically arrested.

Such a hook which can be pushed with its upper portion through a known holder of synthetic plastic material for shirts or the like can be manufactured in a simple manner from synthetic plastic material in an injection molding process. When forcing the lower tip 16 of the hook into the laid-in cardboard 19 or the like, the abutment noses 12 projecting on both sides of the connecting portion 11 of the hook constitute, on the one hand, an adequate surface for engagement by the fingers so as to be able to exert additional pressure during the piercing operation and, on the other hand, an abutment preventing the connecting portion 11 of the hook from being pushed too deep into the opening in the holder or into the laid-in cardboard 19.

The modified embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 10 are preferably concerned with punched-out foil sections of synthetic plastic material or cardboard or the like. In these embodiments outer hook members 22 (FIG. 5) may be punched out on both sides of a connecting portion 21 of the hook or inner hook members (FIGS. 6 to 10) may be punched out from the connecting portions 21 of the hooks. In the latter case constructions with one inner hook member 23 or two inner hook members 23a are possible. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 only serve the purpose of holding a laid-in cardboard 24 or the like, first of all a slot 26 being formed in the cardboard by forcing therethrough a lower tip 25 of the lower hook portion.

In the further embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 there are additionally provided bearing surfaces for additionally or exclusively holding neck-ties or for squeezing scarfs, Shawls, gloves, socks, gowns or the like.

To this end, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, an inner hook member 27 is arranged in a large recess and has lateral indentations 27a so that lateral noses 27b are formed which can serve as barbed hooks preventing a too easy sliding of the inner hook member 27 out of a cardboard or the like. An upper slot-shaped opening 28 provides .in a position above the inner hook member 27 lateral tongues 29 as well as a bearing surface 29a for carrying a neck-tie or the like.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 an inner hook member 30 is arranged separate from tongues 31 with bearing surfaces 31a for carrying a neck-tie or the like.

In the embodiment of FIG. inner upper hook members 32 overlap inner lower hook members 33 and thereby form elastic finger-like clamping tongues. Furthermore, inner tongues 34 are provided for holding a necktie or the like.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 8 to 10 lower insertable tips 35 or upper insertible tips 35a are of relatively narrow configuration so that when form-ing a slot in the cardboard, the lower hook portion cannot be introduced too deep into the slot but edges referenced 36 rather serve as abutments. Due to this, moreover, the slot formed in the cardboard does not become wider than the largest width of the inner tongue. This in turn permits in an advantageous manner to clampingly fix the tongue in the cardboard.

It is also within the scope of the invention to provide the edges of the hook members, tongues or the like with fine teeth in order to better hold the objects. It is also possible to provide serrations or teeth on the front or rear surfaces of the hook portions having tongues or the like. In the embodiment of FIG. 10 an additional small hook member 37 is arranged above the insertable tip 35.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms.

without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. For example, the suspension hooks may be manufactured from round material or flat material by injection molding or punching, respectively. The lower curved hook portion for clamping a cardboard therein may be of various designs. It may be equipped with cross members and/or pins. In this case the pins may be pointed for facilitating the insertion in a cardboard or the like. In other preferred forms of construction particular thickened portions or other bfi g faces may be provided.

I claim:

1. In a device for holding an article packaged with a deformable backplate, the combination comprising piercing means, said piercing means being insertable through a deformable backplate to form a slot in such backplate; retention means, said retention means being insertable into such slot to attach said holding device and said deformable backplate; and, suspension means connected to said retention means, said means being used to suspend an article for display and transportation purposes; said retention means lying in a plane parallel to said suspension means when inserted into position in a slot.

2. In a device for holding articles as defined in claim 1 wherein said retention means is laterally off-set from said suspension means, and connected to said suspension means by a necked portion, said necked portion forming a bearing surface when said retention means is in position in a slot.

3. In a device for holding articles as defined in claim 1 wherein said retention means is of heart-shaped configuration With said piercing means forming the apex of the heart.

4. In a device for holding articles as defined in claim 1 wherein said piercing means and said retention means depend from said suspension means, said piercing means, said retention means and said suspension means all lying in the same vertical plane.

5. In a device for holding articles as defined in claim 4 wherein said retention means is a cut-out portion of said piercing means.

6. In a device for holding articles as defined in claim 1 wherein said piercing means is positioned immediately adjacent to said suspension means and said retention means depends fromsaid suspension means.

7. In a device for holding articles as defined in claim 5 wherein said combination further includes means to receive and hold neckties.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,161,268 11/1915 Tuck 248215 X 1,255,274 2/1918 Babitzky 248215 1,510,978 10/1924 Conklin 248239 1,888,704 11/1932 SWett -20 2,470,878 5/ 1949 Tate 248215 3,191,777 6/1965 Willits 211-87 FOREIGN PATENTS 250,232 3/ 1964 Australia. 381,962 9/1964 Switzerland.

CLAUDE A, LE ROY, Primary Examiner, 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR HOLDING AN ARTICLE PACKAGED WITH A DEFORMABLE BACKPLATE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING PIERCING MEANS, SAID PIERCING MEANS BEING INSERTABLE THROUGH A DEFORMABLE BACKPLATE TO FORM A SLOT IN SUCH BACKPLATE; RETENTION MEANS, SAID RETENTION MEANS BEING INSERTABLE INTO SUCH SLOT TO ATTACH SAID HOLDING DEVICE AND SAID DEFORMABLE BACKPLATE; AND, SUSPENSION MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RETENTION MEANS, SAID MEANS BEING USED TO SUSPEND AN ARTICLE FOR DISPLAY AND TRANSPORTATION PURPOSES; SAID RETENTION MEANS LYING IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID SUSPENSION MEANS WHEN INSERTED INTO POSITION IN A SLOT. 